them stay? They don’t have weapons. They seem harmless,” Pavlos replied.
“No Aeternae is ever harmless, and you know that!” Ember shot back. He looked at Kalon, then at me. “We cannot let you stay unless the chief approves it.”
“We need to rest. It’s been a long journey so far. The regular road would have taken less time and effort, but given the circumstances, we’ve had to adjust,” Kalon said, following my lead. I figured he would understand that I wanted to know more about this place—he was probably just as curious. “We won’t be in anyone’s way. I promise.”
“Who is your chief?” I asked.
“I am,” a woman replied, stepping away from the growing crowd of curious villagers. To my surprise, she was a Nalorean, burly and covered in white furs. The temperature was dropping in this part of the forest, and I could feel chills climbing up my spine. Rows of animal teeth hung across her chest—hundreds of them, many painted in shades of red and gold, creating a bold contrast against the white fur. “I’m Kalla.”
“You’re the chief? A Nalorean?” Kalon gasped, unable to hide his astonishment.
She grinned. “Didn’t think I had it in me, huh? This ain’t the imperial city, boy,” Kalla replied. “This is the land of Orvis, where the Aeternae are not superior, but equal to us and the Rimians.”
That rendered both Kalon and me silent. It made Ember and Pavlos chuckle as Kalla approached us. She was a heavyset woman, her footsteps thumping along the hardened dirt road. The animal teeth rattled with each movement, and she had no problem establishing herself as the leader, even in front of Kalon.
Upon reaching us, Kalla looked at our horses first. Midnight neighed softly, while Lightning huffed and bowed his head. Unflinching, the Nalorean woman reached out and touched Lightning’s head, smiling warmly at the creature. “Such glorious creations,” she muttered. “We have some here, but they’re not easy to raise with sabre tigers lurking after sundown.”
“How did you end up leading the Aeternae?” Kalon asked, his voice low.
Kalla shot him a cold grin. “It’s not just Aeternae here,” she said. “There are Rimians and Naloreans, as well. We live in harmony, and we elect our leaders once every ten years.”
It hit me then, as I noticed the species diversity among the people, that Kalla was telling the truth. “This isn’t an Aeternae domain, is it?” I replied, unable to hide my excitement.
“Since the empire is not aware of our existence, no… no, it isn’t,” Kalla replied. Pavlos and Ember looked at her for direction. They didn’t speak without seeking her gaze first, I noticed. “We rule ourselves here, and it’s much better.”
“How… How is this possible?” Kalon mumbled, trying to wrap his head around the information.
“We’re outcasts,” Ember replied, crossing his arms. “We’re Aeternae who refused to drink Nalorean and Rimian blood. The empire shunned us, hoping we’d find our way back to it eventually. That was four thousand years ago. As you can see, we’ve found an even better path.”
“You subsist on animal blood, then?” I asked, my eyes widening. They were closer to my ethos than to Kalon’s and proof that the Aeternae’s way was not the only way for the empire. Of course, I understood that the Aeternae drank Rimian and Nalorean blood in order to keep themselves strong and superior as a species. That meant that Ember and all the other Aeternae in this village were weaker, physically speaking. Hence the weapons.
“The Aeternae of Orvis never drink from the Rimians and the Naloreans of Orvis,” Kalla declared proudly. Judging by the expressions of the other villagers, they all agreed. It was their rule of law.
“But it renders you weak,” Kalon replied, glancing at Ember. “I presume you’re the defenders of this place. How do you protect the village if you can barely protect yourselves?”
Ember took out his bow and mounted an arrow on it. “Pavlos, throw something.”
Pavlos nodded and took out a piece of bone from his satchel. He tossed it high in the air, and Ember shot his arrow. It pierced the flying shard at an impressive height and with great speed. The piece shattered and scattered around us. Ember smiled. “We can protect ourselves, all right. We just don’t need to get beefed up on innocent people’s blood to do it.”
“Kalon, I think we’re engaging in a culture clash of sorts,” I said. “Perhaps if Kalla is kind enough to welcome us into Orvis tonight, we could discuss this further. Over